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Learning to talk like a real American

Ever since leaving Long Island for Penn State when I was 17, people have always poked fun of my New York accent.

Even today, it still slips out when I say “water” or “coffee”.

But I never thought my accent was anything to worry about. And it certainly wasn’t anything I ever considered getting help for.

But while speech accent reduction is not a disease, there are medical professionals who treat it. At MedSpeech Inc. in Palm Beach Gardens, Rebecca Gould is one of three speech pathologists who work with clients on reducing accents.

Typically, she gets clients with strong Latino, Central American or Indian accents who want to learn how to speak like an American from Ohio or Michigan. She’s even treated people from New York and Boston who want more of a “middle America” type accent.

The older people are the more they have difficulty reducing accents. But with lots of practice, she said accents can be reduced. She notes the star of the TV show “House,” Hugh Laurie, has learned to hide his English accent.

Gould said patients can typically get a 35 percent reduction in six to eight visits as long as they practice. The cost of a 30-minute to 45-minute visit is about $100. Sometimes employers pay to help workers who deal with customers such as receptionists. Some college professors have used her service so their students can more easily understand them.

“In the business world, people with clear accents are thought to be in a more advantageous position for promotion,” Gould said. “We’ve had a blending of America where people think they can do better in this world with a standard accent.”